Thousands of immigrants stuck in Musina with little food, water or shelter

Undocumented immigrants queue outside the Department of Home Affairs offices in Musina for repatriation processing. Photos: Thembi Siaga

• Hundreds of immigrants who have been transferred from Durban to Musina say they have been left sleeping in the open while waiting to be repatriated.
• Migrants complained of shortages of food, water, shelter and toilets, and said only a small number of people were being processed each day.
• Frustration over delays sparked a protest on Wednesday, and one immigrant said he was struck by a rubber bullet fired by police.

Thousands of displaced immigrants, who were transferred on Monday from the Old Drive-in site in Durban to the Musina showgrounds in Limpopo for repatriation, have been left stranded for days.

Most are Malawian. They are sleeping in the open with little food, water or shelter, while waiting for Home Affairs to process them. They were issued documents in Durban to present in Musina to obtain travel documents to return home.

Musina is 20km away from the Beitbridge border post.

On Wednesday, we found dozens of people on the street outside the Home Affairs office. We saw a long, slow-moving queue of people outside the building. Some people had spent the night there, hoping to be first in the queue.

A few kilometres away, a temporary repatriation centre has been set up to process people. Dozens of tents have been erected, and each person has been provided with a mat to sleep on.

Immigrants we spoke to at the site said officials told them that the new processing centre would speed up repatriations and reduce pressure on other sites. But people told us that only a small number of people are processed daily, with officials profiling them and taking fingerprints.

Immigrants have been forced to sleep rough as they await processing.

At the nearby showgrounds, hundreds of people are waiting. Only one tent has been erected for about 30 women and children. Most people slept in an open field, while some spent the night on the metal grandstand.

Jerry Pitmike said they feel abandoned. “Nothing is happening here. We’re just stranded. There is no shelter, food or water. They are making it hard for us to go back to our beautiful Malawi. We are asking the authorities to help us return home,” he said.

People complained that conditions at the showgrounds are worsening.

There are only three taps, which they said do not always have water. A water tanker from the Vhembe District Municipality was supplying water, while some men collected water in buckets and bathed in nearby bushes.

People also complained that the toilets were dirty, overflowing, and too few for the number of people staying at the site.

People complained about the stench from overflowing toilets.

“We just sleep anywhere because there is no shelter, food or water,” said a 21-year-old Malawian man who asked not to be named. “Some business people handed out food and water, but we are many. We are suffering and starving.”

“The situation is bad here since we came,” said Mildred Batton, a Malawian who had been living in Durban. She was travelling with her sister, whose one-year-old child was ill and not receiving medical assistance.

At around 3pm on Wednesday, a group of immigrants briefly protested, demanding that authorities speed up the repatriation process so they may return to Malawi.

“I was trying to stop people from throwing stones when I was hit by a rubber bullet fired by police,” said Douglas Roderick.

Douglas Roderick shows where he says he was hit by a rubber bullet during a brief protest over conditions at the Musina showgrounds.

Early on Wednesday morning, a bus transporting immigrants from KwaZulu-Natal crashed on the N1 near Musina. The driver was killed in the crash, and 11 passengers were injured. According to provincial transport and community safety spokesperson Mashudu Mabata, the driver lost control of the bus apparently due to fatigue. Injured passengers were taken to Musina Hospital.

Near the Beitbridge border on Wednesday, dozens of trucks queued while people carried their luggage to the Zimbabwean side after completing the repatriation process.

Most of those carrying their belongings declined to be interviewed.

Responses from Home Affairs and the Department of Social Development will be added when received.

Musina Local Municipality spokesperson Wilson Dzebu said the process at the showgrounds is managed by Home Affairs. “We have only made the showground available for usage. Home Affairs can better respond to your enquiry,” he said.

A bus carrying immigrants from KwaZulu-Natal crashed on the N1 near Musina.

Musina residents handed out food to the stranded Malawians.

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